Whispers of Love Part II Angels Descending Series
by 2hearts1soul
Summary: Note: You will need to read Part I Echoes of Mercy of the series for this to make sense. Whispers of Love is about the bonding process between Gabrielle and Dean which will not be easy because Dean feels betrayed and needs to assert himself as a Sentinel and Elle still wants to run and has spent half her life doing just that.
1. Chapter 1

Gabrielle and Castiel had played in the park until Ellison had given the signal for the Hunters to move in. As soon as they came into view, the two terrified kids came to a stop and stood in the middle of the playground staring at the surrounding grim faced Sentinels, the little boy holding tightly onto his sister's leg, his head buried in her waist.  
They could see the soothing gentle motions of her hand in his silky black hair, and even though her terrified eyes had scanned the area instinctively for escape, they had all seen how she had forced herself to stay, to submit to their will and there had been a slight lessening in the aggressive tension displayed by most of the Sentinels. Despite her shivering fear, she had found the courage to drop her eyes and concentrate on her scared baby brother, as the Alpha Guide moved away from the restraining hand of his Sentinel and walked jauntily towards the pair of them with a big happy smile on his face as if he had just met his favourite people unexpectedly whilst out for a stroll.  
Gabrielle wondered briefly if Guides actually went insane when they were older after bonding with an arsehole Sentinel, and this one had to be especially troubled, definitely one wave short of a shipwreck because he was the frigging clan guide so had more than one Sentinel Neanderthal to deal with.

Guide Ellison added an extra bounce to his step just before he dropped to his knees in front of an appalled Castiel. The look on her little brother's face when he had peered up at her from behind her knees where he had fled to escape that incredibly bouncy adult nearly had her giggling with nervous hysteria, actually laughing for the first time in ages. Castiel was so not impressed bless his heart. He obviously had the same doubts about the Alpha Guide's mental health; Cas was studying him as if he was an alien who had fallen to earth. His little face was confused and almost disapproving.

He looked back up at his sister and said in a solemn whisper, which was still loud enough for the Guide to hear and all the surrounding Sentinels. "He's just like Tigger, he's over excited, he needs a nap Elle"

She murmured something, she couldn't remember what she said because she was so busy trying to stifle her giggles. It was a reaction to the situation. She knew if she started to laugh, it would deteriorate to hysterical sobbing and pleading in no time at all and she couldn't frighten her brother like that. She closed her eyes once then looked into Guide Sandburg's startling calm amused blue eyes, letting him see the fear and tears, but she wouldn't let them fall.

Her voice had wobbled slightly but stayed strong as she introduced the frightened little lad to the Guide who had tried to reassure the pair of them despite the stern faced Sentinels surrounding them, until the Guide had finally glared at them and told them in a ferocious whisper Castiel couldn't hear, to loosen up because they were frightening the little boy.  
Elle thought wryly it wasn't just the little boy they were frightening. She was absolutely shitting herself. She had to concentrate on Cas.  
For a powerful guide Sandburg didn't seem to grasp the fact that Castiel wanted nothing to do with him either, or it was more likely he was ignoring it as irrelevant.

Castiel had clung to her like a limpet, sobbing his refusal to go without her until she had knelt down and whispered gently into his ear. She knew that all the Sentinels could hear her but she didn't let it stop her. "Remember what we talked about Cas baby? Remember I have to go away for a little while, and Guide Sandburg and Alph.. Alpha Ellison will look after you for me" she stumbled with fear over the Alpha's name, but only the Sentinels could hear that in her voice. "Please Castiel will you do this for me, so that I know you are safe?" The tearful little boy stared up into his sister's eyes, drew a deep breath and slowly took control of his sobs,

When he had finally stopped crying, he patted his sister's face lovingly, and then craned his neck to stare warily at the Guide. Blair's kind smile and calm demeanour didn't change. Castiel drew a deep shuddering breath and took one last long and loving look at his sister's face and then slowly walked, dragging his feet towards the smiling man who had knelt down to face the little boy. Gabrielle stood up.  
"So proud of you Castiel", the girl had whispered to herself as she watched him. As she saw Sandburg take his hand and gently turn him away from his sister to lead him towards a vehicle. Gabrielle couldn't help herself; she had taken an instinctive step towards the Guide but had been stopped by the heavy hand of the Alpha. The Alpha Sentinel she hadn't heard come closer to her and she nearly jumped out of her skin with fright. His hand didn't move but the fingers pressed slightly almost in reassurance for a second before his hold became impersonal again. She had turned to look at him in shock but the expression on his face made her quickly drop her eyes.

It took a few seconds for her breathing to get under control and then she found her voice again.  
"Please Alpha" she whispered, her head bent submissively "There are some things that the Guide needs to know to look after Castiel" but she stood obediently under his hand making no move to follow Castiel and the Guide and waited for his decision.

"Look at me" the Alpha ordered coldly, she swallowed and raised her head, her eyes wide with the effort to stop the tears falling. Miserable wet hazel eyes looked up into icy blue and she flinched as if he had physically struck her but she didn't hide her gaze.

"The boy is no longer your concern" the words were as uncompromising and hard as his eyes and she paled, finally tears slipped down her cheek. He had been furious with her since he had seen that empty hospital room and his stomach had hit his toes with fear for their safety. He would have cheerfully put her over his knee for this stunt and made sure she couldn't sit properly for the rest of the week, hell for the rest of the month. She deserved it, because the pair of them could have been hurt, hurt badly the way she had driven the truck, and he was still having flashbacks to the sight of her terrified face in the vehicle which had turned into absolute unthinking panic when he and Winchester had taken off towards her and the boy.  
But he was well aware of the precarious hold that Winchester had on his sentinel urges and his temper so even though it would have satisfied his need for her to understand just how dangerous her stunt had been, and ensure that she never did it again, spanking her was out of the question. He was damned sure that just keeping his hand on her shoulder was driving the boy insane, but he hadn't claimed her yet so he would have to wait until Jim completed his business with the little Guide. Self control was important for a Sentinel and this wouldn't take much longer.

"Please Alpha he's my brother, he's never been apart from me" she whispered miserably. "I'm sorry I'm so sorry, please don't take him away from me forever, please I couldn't bear it" she was literally shaking with fear and misery as she begged.

Ellison's free hand came up to her face and he collected a tear between his forefinger and his thumb, gently spreading it between the two, taking in her essence through his pores. His heart softened at her words, she thought they were taking Castiel from her permanently. So that was why she had fled, or at least one of the reasons, he considered as he remembered her anxious glances at Winchester.

The foolish child had believed that she wouldn't see her baby brother again. That wouldn't happen with Winchester, family was too important to him, and even if she had been imprinted with another less family friendly sentinel, Jim would not have allowed the separation.  
The kids needed each other. What sort of fucking Sentinels had she come across?

He had been furious with her for running; she had just made things ten times worse for herself by stealing his truck for Christ's sake. And to top it all off, he had been furious with her when he heard that comment to her brother, "Word of a Messenger."  
It meant that the kids had come from a pack and a clan which they were running from. They were living off her wits and her ability to duck and dive and lie, when they belonged to a clan, where they would have been cherished as the treasures they were, where they would have been fed regularly and sent to school and allowed to play and been loved and protected. The clan they belonged was not just any clan; they had mentioned the Messengers who were a minor but important pack of the Host Clan. The bloody Host clan, who were powerful, strong and secretive, who ruled their sub division with the iron fist of Michael Archangel, the Alpha Prime of the Host clan. So now he had a runaway from the Messenger clan who was going to be bonded to a Panther Sentinel, to all intents and purposes without her full consent, and her little brother had been claimed as family by the Alpha pair of the clan pack.  
The diplomatic repercussions of this were going to be horrendous. Why in the name of God had the girl not just told him what was going on, instead of just running, again?

Running, she'd been running with a child since he was a baby and she barely a teenager herself, what the hell was she so afraid of that the well connected Messenger clan and its powerful and dangerous partner the Host clan couldn't protect them from, and why hadn't he heard of any missing Messenger or Host children as Alpha Prime of the largest sub district in what used to be the old state of Washington. Missing clan children were always a priority, children were the lifeblood of the clans, and there were too many of the Western Sentinel Republic's so called allies, let alone enemies, who would be only too happy to have their own captive sentinels and guides to alleviate any so called imbalance in power.  
Though they were precious to the clans but they were a priceless treasure to be pillaged by friends and enemies alike. Missing children were given priority over everything else, unless there was a reason to keep it secret. The hard truth hit him between the eyes, dear god, that's why she had asked for the promise not to harm her brother, that's why she avoided anything to do with Sentinels. For the love of God she was running from her clan, she was running from Sentinels, she was running from her family because she thought they were going to hurt her and the kid, but it couldn't be just hurt could it?  
Not to cause that level of paranoia and fear, she believed that they were both in danger, mortal danger. The knowledge pulsed through him enraging him. His Sentinel need to protect outraged, he heard his spirit animal roar with fury and immediately felt the concerned mind touch of his bonded Guide. He calmed and sent reassurance through the bond to his guide, but he knew his partner would seek answers later.

He stiffened as he remembered that he had issued the nationwide request for information from other law enforcement agencies so they would know where the kids were. Which meant that in the not too distant future, he could expect a visit from the Host clan or Messenger clan! Bloody hell, he really had to know what he was dealing with now.

Ellison knew the difference between courage and stupidity, he had seen plenty of both in his time in the army and law enforcement, but there was also an underlying fear which was so strong it focused on one thing only.  
Gabrielle had been living on that fear for so long she didn't know how to deal with situations any other way now. He recognised that punch drunk, adrenaline fuelled desperation in her eyes. Well damn it she was just going to have to learn the hard way that this pack and clan looked after their own. And the only way for her and the kid to be fully protected now was for the mating bond to take, it didn't matter how scared she was, she had to bond with Dean. No-one, family or not, could interfere with a mated pair. She would be safe.

The little boy was now the adopted son of the Alpha Sentinel and Guide of the Panther Clan. Just let the fucking arrogant Host clan try to overturn that. He'd lead the panther clan against the bird brains himself he thought savagely.

His face softened "You should have trusted me kid" he admonished gently, "You aren't going to lose your brother now tell me what we need to know about the bo…about Castiel" he continued trying to reassure her, then had to hold her as her legs simply gave way beneath her, her relief so deep it had drained what was left of the blood in her face. "Truly" she whispered disbelievingly and took his raised eyebrow as confirmation. She had closed her eyes but the tears slid underneath her eyelids. She took a deep breath.

"Castiel is lactose intolerant; he can only take lactose free milk or soya milk. He'll get sick if you give him normal milk. He will eat pretty much of anything except carrots, he hates cooked carrots, his favourite is burgers, and he'd eat the restaurant out of them if he could, but he's good with his food. He just needs a bit of coaxing sometimes because he daydreams and forgets to eat. He needs his bear Bobby to sleep properly, it's in my backpack and you have to tell him a story every night before bed. He doesn't like bubbles in his bath because he likes to dunk his head and it stings his eyes when he does that if there are bubbles. He hates brushing his hair but loves brushing his teeth. He has a night light because he's scared of the dark and he needs lots of cuddles."

She was sobbing as she rattled out the words, hardly drawing breath, but not taking her eyes from the stern faced Alpha who stared at her, and then finally said.

"Neither I nor Winchester have any interest in keeping the boy from you, but you will not be allowed to see him until the bond is successfully completed, do you understand Gabrielle? You may not want it but this bond is your only hope of keeping your family together"

There was a horrified pause but then she nodded jerkily in acceptance, and her eyes left his face to home onto the stony faced Sentinel standing waiting for her. She trembled, her heart sank, she could sense his anger underneath that hard mask and she knew it was directed at her. He thought she had rejected him and now she was going to have to bond with him anyway. She was in so much trouble and she didn't know how to handle this, she was totally out of her depth. She looked back up at the Alpha still holding her in place. "I understand Alpha" she almost whispered, then seemed to abandon any attempt to pretend indifference, "But I'm scared" the words so quiet that only the super sensitive ears of a Sentinel would pick them up.  
There was a collective exhalation of breath from the surrounding Sentinels who carefully refused to look at the seemingly patiently waiting Dean Winchester. Ellison was aware of it as well as of the fact that Winchester flinched but girl didn't notice it, any of it.  
She continued quietly "I've never been to a Guide centre, I don't even know how to be a Guide so how do I do this, how do I bond with a Sentinel when I haven't been taught about Bonding, I don't know what to do or what will happen and I know he's very angry with me" her voice tailed off, as she looked up at him wide-eyed and vulnerable.

Fuck it, why wasn't Blair here? It was Ellison's first thought when he looked down into her pleading face. It should be a Guide speaking to her about this stuff not a Sentinel, and definitely not an Alpha Sentinel at that he thought embarrassed. He thought he could feel his guide's gentle amusement at his instinctive retreat from such a conversation.

One large hand cupped her face and turned it towards her Sentinel. "Trust him and submit. His anger will fade once the bond is complete. The bonding will be…intense because you ran but you are his mate, his guide and he will not hurt you deliberately. Do not run or give him cause to think you are resisting. Each of his senses will be imprinted upon you, some perhaps together but it will take as long as it takes and then he will cherish you"

The word cherish sank through her stomach like a stone. She knew what that meant; she knew she would lose her independence, her freedom, even her will would be bound to the Sentinel. They pretended the word cherish was a gift, such a pretty word but it was used to chain the Guide to the Sentinels side, trap them into obedience. Oh God she didn't want to be a cherished guide, panic flared deep inside her, but she buried it. This was for Castiel. She could do this for Castiel. Castiel, Castiel, Castiel.

She used his name as a talisman to hold back her rebelling emotions. She would submit to that Winchester, she could handle this, she could. It was for Castiel. The tiny traiterous whisper at the back of her mind about the beauty of her Sentinel was ignored.

The knowledge that she wouldn't be separated from Cas for ever, that she had one thing to accomplish before she could have him back seemed to have tilted her away from her abject fear and desperation and some of the kid's innate defiance found its way back into her posture and her speech. Ellison had to resist the unexpected surge of affectionate amusement, damn he liked this little troublemaker, and keep his face blank when she twisted herself back to look at him in angry disbelief and ranted:

"That's it, that's all you are going to tell me, that's what takes bloody six years in a guide centre, 'trust him' " the last two words were uttered in her attempt at the Alpha's deep voice. Ellison heard a few hastily suppressed chuckles from his surrounding men. The girl continued, her voice rising slightly "Seriously, that's it. I just bared my soul to you and you give me, what, five cryptic clues for some Sentinel Zen shit?"

She glared at him while he stared down at her impassively, her brain racing with options. How the hell did she deal with this? She knew Winchester was furious with her, she could feel his emotions pressing in on her and they hadn't even started a proper imprinting. He was so angry but there was also deep hurt hiding underneath the anger and it made her uncomfortable, her Sentinel should not be hurt, she tried to force that thought away but she couldn't stop feeling that she had to take his hurt away. She had caused this; she had caused his pain in public.  
A stray memory from her childhood filtered through her brain. A ceremony that she had been forced to watch with all the other pack members, a ceremony which had made her independent little skin crawl and made sure that she had not been able to unclench her teeth for at least a month after witnessing it, but it was probably the only answer to her complete and utter screw up of this whole mess, and better that she initiate it and do it now instead of being forced to do it in front of the whole clan.

Ellison watched as her eyes narrowed and that clever little elfin face closed in as if to wipe away any traces of fear. Then she hissed something incomprehensible under her breath at him before stalking off in a temper towards Dean Winchester.

The other Sentinels watched with fascination and varying degrees of disapproval.

Dean watched her walk towards him, saw the anger and fear in the way her body moved, his eyes glinting with rage and resentment. She had rejected him twice in public, and ran from him. She had been touched by another Sentinel, the Alpha and had stood there making no protest and without trying to get away; she had even hugged the Alpha in the Hospital instead of coming to her own Sentinel for comfort. Then she had openly admitted her fear of him in front of all the other Sentinels.

Now she was finally submitting because it was the only way to retain access to her brother, not because she wanted to bond with him, her Sentinel, her bond mate, oh no this was only so she could stay with the little brat. Did she think she would get away with playing him that easily?

Winchesters didn't give a shit about the opinions of others, only the Alpha Sentinel and his Guide were important to him, but this humiliation caused by his destined Guide was eating him alive. He had to get her away from this place back to his territory and then he would deal with her treachery. He was so fucking angry he could punch a hole in his baby, his beautiful Impala and his spirit animal was almost insane with need and grief and anger.

The girl came to a halt a few feet away from him, the walk towards him seemed to have drained the anger leaving only her fear, those amazing eyes nervously searching his stern face. She made a strange little movement, almost as though she was nodding in confirmation at something. Then to his complete shock, she went to her knees in front of him, and without removing her eyes from his, she spoke clearly and solemnly using words in a ritual format he had never heard before.

"Sentinel, I have wronged you and your pack through my fear and ignorance, I have disobeyed your Alpha, I have lied to your Alpha and your pack and I have stolen from your Alpha and your pack," She took a deep breath and continued "my worst transgression is that I have run from your proper claim of bonding and I have run from you and your spirit animal. I offer you now my pride, and my submission in public as penance for my offences and submit my will to your punishment until such time as I am forgiven or cast off from the pack."

There was an astounded silence at her words and then the girl dropped her head into her hands and leant forward until her head was on the ground in front of the Sentinel's boots.

Dean looked down at her in total stunned amazement and then he heard the appalled comprehension and utter rage in his Alpha's voice

"Fucking Host clan bastards"

* * *

**AN:**

Second part of Angels Descending Series. You will need to read the Part I Echoes of Mercy for this to make sense. Hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimers: None of the characters belong to me, just having fun. No infringement intended.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning: Serious Dub con here, Elle does not want to submit to the bonding but she is forced to. Mostly Dean's POV but lots of angst**

* * *

Sound had triggered the first part of the instinctive imprinting

Dean had carried the girl to his bed, and the satisfaction he felt at having his Guide in his arms, his bed, in his territory overwhelmed the disappointment that she had fallen into an exhausted uneasy sleep before they could begin the bonding proper. He had set her down gently on top of the bed, in the darkened room, still wrapped in his green silk dressing gown after her shower.

Her blushing embarrassment at being bare in front of him hadn't lessened after the shower, it had grown but it was the silent wet eyed shame that had chased away any hint of defiance and left her young face vulnerable and defenceless which had finally softened his angry heart enough that he had allowed her to cover herself with the ridiculously large dressing gown, soothing some of his ire because it was his dressing gown she was draped in, and it was his scent which was surrounding her.  
He refused to feel any guilt over the sincere relieved gratitude in her whispered thanks but he could feel more of the angry resentment soften, as she tentatively took one of his big hands in hers, and raised it to her lips where she timidly kissed its palm, and then she cupped it against her face. He could see the exhaustion, sadness and scared determination in the wide eyes she lifted to his, not letting go of his hand against her cheek, as she stammered "I will obey you Sentinel, I won't try to run again, I swear"

They weren't the words he had ever expected to hear from his destined mate, but he was taking anything he could get right now out of the major cluster fuck his life had become over the last 48 hours. He had stared into those expressive eyes for a long time, permitting her to keep hold of his hand, his thumb unconsciously stroking her cheek, as he allowed himself to calm down without answering her. Talking was over rated, and despite his anger he didn't want to frighten her any more than she was already. So he just watched as her eyelids began to droop and she struggled against the exhaustion that held her in its grip, until she finally rested her head against his chest and muttered "So tired, sorry".  
He swung her up in his arms, ignoring her small squeak of surprise, and as he moved upstairs to the main bedroom and then towards the large bed by the double French doors, he felt her body simply relax against him as she fell into the sleep she so desperately needed after the turmoil of the last few days. She didn't stir when he lay her down on the luxurious linen, or when he had removed all his clothes and lay right next to her on their bonding bed.  
He closed his eyes briefly as the smooth slide of his bare skin against hers nearly stopped his breath. He took the opportunity to look his fill at his reluctant Guide.

Her hair was still damp and curled into her scalp as if it was caressing her skin. He wanted to caress her skin, her hair, her lips, he wanted to curl into her body and find the curves and dips and discover where their bodies fit together, and where he could make them fit.

But he could control himself, he was not a damn animal, he was a Winchester and he would do this properly. The kid was stressed, exhausted and frightened. Fuck she was scared of him, scared of what he would do to her. But she was fucking brave, she had guts, and the Winchester men had always been suckers for the courage of an underdog. Damn it that was why he didn't watch the Hallmark channel anymore! When she had knelt in front of him spouting that strange ritual and publicly begged for forgiveness and for him to punish her, she had looked at him like he was going to take her straight to hell with him but she had done it anyway. Brave, dumb yeah but brave.

But a part of him, the part where humiliation had been gnawing at him, because of her behaviour, that part had been soothed by that very public submission, although he would never have forced such a thing on her, she had done it voluntarily. He would make himself remember that even though she had rejected him, she had rejected their bond, she had run from him. His panther was still unsettled and he could feel the anger roiling in his gut, and sparking through his blood stream, she had rejected him, rejected them, left them and would have kept running away from them for ever.

His Guide had rejected her Sentinel. The anger inside him had turned cold, so very cold and there was a certain satisfaction to the knowledge that she had no choice but to submit now. Her words on her knees in front of him, his Alpha and his pack mates had eased some of his fury and pain but not the vivid real sense of betrayal.

They had caught her, he refused to acknowledge that she had stopped running; he only knew that other Sentinels had been there when she had been caught, other Sentinels had been within touching distance. The Alpha had actually touched her, had touched his Guide, his fucking Guide, (emphasis on the pronoun there Alpha), the Guide who had rejected him.

The growl burst from his throat before he could stop himself and he tried to focus, to remember that she was in his territory now, he had her safe from any others and she would submit. She had told him she would obey. The green of his eyes brightened to that of the panther's vivid emerald as he studied her without blinking. She would become his, and there would be no more of this running shit. She was fucking his and the sooner she accepted it the better. There was a savage satisfaction in the thought.

But the part of him that had snatched her from the pack and run with her to the hospital, the part that had felt sorry for his little Guide and wanted to comfort her was hurt, humiliated and appalled that the only way he could have his mate was through this forced bonding.

And then his mind brought up the memory of how she had stood there, white faced and shaking when Guide Sandburg had taken the little boy, and the possessive jealous rage he shared with his panther spirit animal turned to pain and his panther whined. He almost did too. Their Guide mate was hurting and he couldn't make it better because she had rejected him, them, she had run from them.

She had showered the scent of the other Sentinels out of her skin. Her clothes had been sealed in the plastic box issued to all unbonded Sentinels the night of the moon hunt specifically for that purpose. If they returned to their territory with a Guide, the clothes box was to be left outside their home territory for collection and sent to the compound laundry as the newly claimed Guides had to be free of the scent of others, something which would disturb and upset their new Sentinels, something which would make the imprinting and final claiming a lot harder and rougher than it needed to be. Therefore the new Guide mates were only allowed to wear what the Sentinel provided until the bonding was complete.  
That was if he allowed her to wear anything, he thought grimly. If she had no clothes, she couldn't easily run and disappear again.

Despite the seeming sincerity of her words, he didn't trust her. She had played her tricks too easily and cleverly for her to receive his trust immediately. She would have to earn it.  
She might be afraid now but she had a cunning intelligence that he wasn't going to underestimate again.  
It was too easy to remember how she had seemed so distressed and distraught when she had fallen into Ellison's arms at the hospital and yet still managed to lift the Alpha Sentinel's keys to his truck. For fuck sake, she had pick pocketed the Alpha Prime of the subdivision, who was not only the strongest wiliest most savvy Sentinel he had ever met, with an empathic powerful shaman clan guide but who was also a cop with twenty plus years experience and the Alpha had not known she had done it. "Once bitten kid, going to have to try harder this time. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. You ain't going to fool me twice little one." His thoughts were dark and bitter

She had been so quiet when she had followed him obediently into his home. The angry bravado which has made her stalk up to him in the playground had drained away like water from a leaky sieve when her head had become level with his boots.

It hadn't returned whilst she was sitting in his beautiful black Impala, only the two of them in the car, as he drove her towards his territory, his home, their home now because she knew the score, she had to bond with him, she had no choice if she wanted to be with her brother again.  
He could honestly admit that he hadn't been keen on finding a guide and bond mate; hell he hadn't wanted one, period. But this, this utter shit fest bloody trial of his patience, temper, and even his fucking sanity was so not included in his list of scenarios when it came to actually bonding with his destined guide.

If he had thought about it, and maybe sometimes in the deepest darkest part of the night when he woke up tense and worried about another Winchester problem, he had distracted himself with thoughts of what might be instead of what was, and he had assumed that his Guide would be as desperate to bond with him as he would be to bond with the Guide and there would be the happy-ever-after, roses around the door, white picket fence crap. This nightmare situation hadn't even been a figment of a figment of a figment of his imagination.

His lips twisted with rage and his eyes flared as his spirit animal took the opportunity to sternly regard his recalcitrant mate. And then there was the telling fact that her spirit animal hadn't made an appearance yet. He didn't even know what it was. Another messed up insult to their bond when her spirit animal refused to take it seriously and made no attempt to appease his panther's pain.

She had seemed to shrink in on herself the further from the playground they travelled and the longer he kept silent. She had studied the inside of the Impala as if her life depended on it whilst she had waited in vain for some reaction from him.

She kept on flicking nervous little glances towards him as if she was terrified he was going to pounce on her at any moment. He knew he should say something, anything to try to reassure her, but he was too fucking angry. He wasn't a cruel man by nature, he did his job to the best of his abilities and deliberately causing pain was not his thing, but he had a temper and he knew if he tried to speak to her now, he would lose it entirely.

She tried to speak to him a couple of times and he heard the tears in her scared voice as it faded away into the silence at his lack of response. He couldn't even really respond to her final attempt at conversation, a shivering desperate plea "Sentinel please say something, even if it's just to yell at me"

He refused to look at her; he refused to speak to her because he was desperately trying to keep a lid on his feelings, and not stop the damn car and just take her up against the hood anyway. She seemed to shrink even further away from him as she waited for a response that wasn't coming. She didn't speak again, just turned to stare out of the window at the unfamiliar scenery, a small ball of misery and fear but he saw the way her shoulders were shaking and heard the faint sobs she tried to keep silent.

He felt like such a douchebag, his hand reached instinctively towards her and gently rubbed at the slight bonding mark he had left on her neck, which oddly enough seemed to give them both a small measure of comfort until he felt calm enough that he could try to speak to her. But it had to be about something which lacked the potential to escalate into emotion. His hand dropped away and as she turned back towards him, with an uneasy mixture of protest, longing and nervousness flickering across her face, his deep voice was terse and blank as he told her that they still had twenty minutes to his home. She had studied him for what seemed like interminable seconds, where he had the impression she was silently begging him to continue to talk to her, she had curled around on herself, no doubt mind frantically racing to be able to find a way to escape him, he thought with cynical bitter amusement.

His territory was a two storey handsome large house in the main Sentinel compound.

When they pulled up to the security gates, they opened automatically. The guards didn't bother to come out, just cleared the way for him. He realised that they must have been informed about his new status as normally the entry rules and regulations were strictly adhered to. But this non interference was standard procedure for a new Sentinel and Guide pair bonding. No Sentinel was going to get in his way or slow him down now before the full imprinting and bonding was complete. Well no Sentinel except his fucking Alpha who had laid hands on his mate. The growl low in his throat seemed to startle the girl out of her reverie and he could hear the frightened beat of her heart.

Elle had been studying the compound wide eyed. She was instinctively scoping for entry and exit points, weaknesses in the perimeter, pulling all the data together and storing it in her brain for future use. She couldn't help it, she had spent too long having to rely on such habits and data to protect her little brother that she couldn't stop such an ingrained behaviour now. Her eyes widened as she took in the house he pulled to a stop in front off. Envy hit her gut like a punch, it looked like a home, she thought with bitter longing. The kind of home that would have children playing in the back yard or running shrieking through the house to steal snacks from an indulgent adult. The kind of home you lived with people who loved you and took care of you. The kind of home that Castiel had never known, the kind of home she had left and those memories were buried deep in her subconscious because it hurt too much to remember.

He obviously had some status in the clan, or maybe he had inherited from his murdering tyrant of a father, she thought resentfully, ignoring the way the underlying sadness made her want to weep for everything she had lost and Cas had never known.

But when they got out of the car, she couldn't bring herself to focus on anything else except the big angry brooding Sentinel as he unlocked the front door and walked into his home knowing damn well she would follow him despite her need to turn tail and run. She stared at his back as he moved forward and then looked down at the threshold of his territory. God, she didn't recognise herself like this, she wanted to cry because she was so bloody scared. This wasn't Gabrielle who had challenged the might and determination of the Host clan to protect her little brother Castiel, the Elle who had kept him safe for the long years they had been on the run.

How did these Sentinels have the power to turn her into a scared little child, especially this one, her chosen Sentinel whose anger made her want to weep, and who she had already begged for forgiveness.

Once she was over that threshold, on his territory, he could do what ever the hell he wanted to her and she couldn't stop him, and he had barely spoken a word to her on the entire trip. She knew she had made him angry but she hadn't realised just how angry he was. She was so scared. Logically she knew he could have stopped the car and done anything he wanted to her at anytime during their journey, but stepping over that threshold seemed to be the last straw. Stepping over that threshold swept away any lingering foolish notion and desperate hope that this was all some weirdly real dream and she was going to wake up with Castiel in that dingy motel room. Stepping over that threshold meant she was going to submit to this Sentinel, that she was no longer in charge of her own life and she was so honestly scared damn it, she didn't know how to deal with it. She closed her eyes, fighting to find a way to accept it.

He came to a stop ahead of her and she could hear the low growl which issued from his throat as he realised she hadn't stepped foot into his home. He still didn't turn to look at her but her anxiety levels increased until he must be able to hear the frantic pounding of her heart as she took that final step over the threshold and into his home.

Yes, abject fear was as good a way as any to overcome stupid scruples, she mocked herself mercilessly.

"Close the door behind you and stay there" was the Sentinel's only comment as he moved off again.

Dean had refused to be appeased because she had obeyed him. She had stood there waiting nervously for his instructions, her clothes stinking of intruders in his territory. She had been shaking when he had made her remove everything under his unrelenting gaze so she wouldn't track those offensive scents through his home, as she stood there trying to cover herself with her arms and her hands, her head down submissively, trying desperately not to offer a challenge or provoke him in any way as his panther prowled round the small defenceless figure studying her to determine where he would place his bonding mark. The bite at the hospital had been a temporary emergency stopgap and the permanent mark didn't have to be in the same place. In fact both he and his panther relished the idea of there being two marks on their Guide. There would be no hiding the claiming and bond mark then, even if she tried.

He saw the scuffed elbows, the clenched hands, the delicate curve of her neck, the smooth pale expanse of skin leading to the curve of her perfectly proportioned ass, the strength in her lean legs and her dainty little feet.

His searching gaze was drawn to the tattoo of the wings on her shoulder and his panther snarled, the sound issuing from his throat low and vicious, how dare anyone else mark his mate? She jumped but stayed in the same spot, knowing better than move. He moved closer to study it and then he heard the terrified beating of her heart, the almost sub vocal whimpering and breathed in the scent of abject misery she was exuding. He should have heard it earlier but he was too focused on his own needs. Her body trembled like a leaf in the wind, and he saw one tear drip off the end of her chin.

His panther whined at her distress and his head dropped to nudge her shoulder gently, his stubbled face stroking relentless across the tattoo as if by scent marking it, it would appease the panther's rage. She stood there obediently, suffering his ministrations but she refused to look at him and suddenly it was the most important thing in the world to the Sentinel and his spirit animal that their Guide mate looked at them. He gently tilted her head towards his face, and continued to stare into her eyes as he bent his head towards her shoulder.

He lapped at the tattoo, tasting her skin, tracing the outline of the imaged slowly and carefully, and sending a shiver through her small frame. He moved closer to her body, still lapping and slid his arms around her body to draw her towards him until she was resting flush against him, the texture of his uniform strange against her bare skin, her bare feet bracketed by his boots and her legs enclosed by the long muscular length of his. The low contented rumble of his purr against her skin was soothing and despite her near panic at being hauled into his arms and surrounded by that strong male body, the sound seemed to connect to her body and bypass her stressed brain and she could feel her muscles begin to relax, even though her brain was screaming warnings about strange large hands deliberately stroking the underside of her breasts, moving nearer and nearer to her nipples and the heavy erection pressing into the dip of her back above her backside. When the fingers of those hands finally circled her nipples, she moved backwards in instinctive denial but only pressed herself closer to the hard male body behind her. The fingers followed and continued their relentless gentle movements as the purr grew in tone and became amused, and the lapping tongue moved from her tattoo up over her shoulder blade and trailed its way to the juncture of her neck where he inhaled her scent deeply before teasing little bites were nibbled up to her ear.

Elle's head fell weakly back against him and her neck was bared by instinct. She could feel his satisfaction and approval. Her body was responding to her Sentinel even if her mind wasn't.

Then as his nose was buried in her hair, and he inhaled deeply again, he stiffened.

His low voice growled "you need to bathe, you still smell of the Alpha".

And he straightened up once more tense and angry, relaxing his hold on her body but the small whimper of protest as he began to distance himself from her that she couldn't suppress quickly enough eased some of the anger.

He studied her for a few seconds and she still refused to meet his eyes, he could see the pretty pink flush to her cheeks, the way she fought to keep her hands to her side, the way her nipples were peaked and proud after his gentle ministrations and his satisfaction grew. He took her hand and led her to the downstairs shower room.

She was his and she would soon realise that. He had to stay calm, she was mate and guide and mustn't be hurt, but she had run from them. Why had she run from them?

They were part of each other, they completed each other. He would keep her safe and she would keep him safe.

He could control himself, he had pushed away the raging feelings of rejection which wanted him to claim her immediately until she never even thought about leaving him again, he could control himself but she looked so delectable lying there in his dressing gown, it was the start of his scent marking. Soon his scent would be inside her as well as on her skin. He drew a deep breath, he was not an animal but lust hit his gut like a steam train.

He lay there next to her whilst she was fast asleep, feeling his body finally relax after the tension and stress of the previous long hours slipping away as if accepting that he had found exactly what he needed.  
He listened to her breathing, and unconsciously his hearing deepened, the room receded and his focus was entirely on the Guide resting beside him. He moved until his head hovered over her heart, its beat began to dictate the beat of his own.  
It was rhythmic and so soothing and his head gradually lowered until he rested above her small breasts. He closed his eyes, listening to the sound, feeling the sound of her heartbeat pounding through his blood cells; remembering the way her feet had pounded through the streets trying to get away from his pack. He felt her heartbeat; he heard her heartbeat and only the sound of her heartbeat. There was nothing else in his world.

* * *

AN: Next chapter more bonding stuff and all that entails.

Disclaimers: As per usual, no infringement intended.


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